Baby Sumo Birthday Week #1: Cilantro Restaurant, KL

Every year for my birthday, Hubby would spoil me to a few nice meals in the run up to the actual day. The first venue that we picked was Cilantro KL, having had many nice meals here in the past.

Every Fridays, they do a 4-course lunch for RM150 nett, which includes a glass of Prosecco as well as coffee/tea. And of course, not to be missed here is their amazing truffle butter... don't be shy and slather on your bread. You could always ask for another and they would happily oblige ;)

The amazing truffle butter

To start, we had the Cold Capellini with Hirame and Aosanori. This was my favorite dish of the afternoon - loved its simplicity yet bursting with umami flavours. The delicate fish was topped with some kickass wasabi and crunchy seaweed. Fantastic!

The second course is a warm starter, Nipah Crab with Piment d'Espelette Soufflé. I wasn't too impressed with this dish, especially since the souffle was tiny and looked deflated, and I found not one, but three pieces of crab shell in my plate. Certainly not acceptable for a fine dining restaurant.

For mains, I had the Grilled Angus Beef with Mushrooms while Hubby went for the French Pigeon with Foie Gras. I enjoyed the grilled beef, very nicely cooked, but next to the grilled beef there was also a piece of braised beef (not sure which part) but it was tough and felt a bit out of place. I would have been happier if it wasn't there. Hubby's main course was good and a nice change since it's not everyday that he gets to eat French pigeon.

Dessert was also a non-event for us, Roasted Apple with Caramel Ice Cream and Tuile. All I got from eating the ice cream was a burnt aftertaste (we've had their caramel ice cream before and it definitely doesn't taste like this). Hardly exciting.

So, we ended up going to The Deli (also in Micasa Hotel and operated by Cilantro kitchen) and ordered a strawberry meringue with vanilla ice cream. A sure-winner, this definitely perked our moods up again.

Thanks Hubby for the birthday treat!


Opening times: Lunch - available on Fridays only. (12.00pm -2.00pm). Dinner - Monday to Saturday (6.00pm - 10.30pm). Closed on Sundays.

Service: Good.

Price: RM150 nett per person inclusive of glass of Prosecco

Location: Cilantro Restaurant & Wine Bar, MiCasa All Suite Hotel, 368-B Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 03-2179 8082

Website: http://www.cilantrokl.com/ (Lunch menus updated weekly)

GPS Coordinates: 3.162273,101.719548



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Michelin-Star Chef Mario Gamba of Acquarello Munich @ Mandarin Oriental KL

I was excited to hear that Chef Mario Gamba of Michelin-starred Acquarello in Munich was coming to KL and was even more excited when I received an invitation from the Mandarin Oriental KL hotel to attend a cooking demo and 7-course dinner at Mandarin Grill.

Chef Mario Gamba will be at the award-winning Mandarin Grill from 19 to 22 November 2014 and diners can choose from a 5-course dinner for RM498++ per person or 7-course dinner for RM698++ per person. There will also be a 6-course wine dinner featuring Chateau Cantemerle on 22nd November for RM598++ per person.

Chef Mario Gamba's restaurant in Munich, Acquarello was awarded one Michelin-star in 2000 and has been listed among the world's 100 best restaurants by Forbes. He has trained under Michelin-starred Chef Alain Chapel in France, Chef Heinz Winkler of Tantris and Chef Gualitero Marchesi. He is specially flown in by Qatar Airways with his assistant Chef Bastian Gebhardt to give diners an exclusive Italian dining experience.

Earlier at the cooking demo, Chef Mario Gamba shows us how to make a pea risotto topped with scallop saltimbocca and Amalfi lemon foam. He tells us that to make a good risotto, it is important to buy good risotto rice (either Carnaroli or Vialone Nano). During his cooking demo, he uses the 9-years aged Acquerello rice, which is often hailed as the "Roll-Royce of rice" due to its superior quality. The aging process guarantees a perfect stability of the starch within the grains, that is indispensable to exalt their qualitative and nutritional values.

Saltimbocca is given a twist by Chef Mario Gamba, as he tops the lightly seared scallops with raw tuna drizzled with sesame oil. Another tip that he shares is to add some acidity to the risotto, either by adding a splash of wine or white balsamic vinegar and butter to finish off the dish. The risotto was perfectly executed and by the time I finished eating it, I was certainly looking forward to the 7-course dinner that was to come.

For dinner, we were ushered into the private dining room in Mandarin Grill restaurant. To start, we were served a selection of bread with salted and smoked butter, followed by an amuse bouche of veal with tuna foam, his take on the Vitello Tonnato.

Our dinner venue, the elegant Mandarin Grill

During the cooking demo, Chef Mario Gamba revealed that in his Acquarello kitchen in Munich, he prefers to serve a light menu to his diners by using less butter and sugar. He also tells us that his favorite method of cooking is sous vide, as it is healthier and the flavours of food are sealed in. The veal in the warm veal filet salad was prepared with the sous vide method, and then served with artichoke, basil oil and truffle shavings. Yup, be prepared for a truffle extravaganza ;)

"You must try the gold egg later" Chef Mario Gamba enthusiastically tells us. And I can see why - the truffled egg is topped with edible gold leaf, celery mousseline, and Madeira foam. This was definitely my favorite dish of the evening - absolutely exquisite and bursting with flavour.

Chef Mario Gamba grew up in Northern Italy, and his grandmother used to make ravioli for the family on weekends. For the next course, we were served with a potato ravioli with sherry foam and white truffle shavings. I liked the texture that potato filling gives these delicate parcels and the sherry foam packs quite a punch flavour wise.

The filet of cod was served with a sauce made from duet of bell pepper coulis, topped with scallop cream, black truffle shavings and cannellini beans foam.  Super love the sauce, paired with flaky fish.

Cappuccino of Potato with Parmesan Foam and Truffle

The main course is a lamb loin in a crisp bread crust. Beautifully pink in the centre, this was served with a rosemary jus with ratatouille and baked eggplant praline on the side.

By the way, Mandarin Grill is also having a truffles promotion- RM180/g for white truffle, and RM90/g for black truffle.

And to end our wonderful meal, a gorgeous ricotta souffle served with Alba white truffle ice cream, pear coulis and Tahitian vanilla. The truffle ice cream was amazing, wish I could have more of that!

Thank you to Mandarin Oriental KL for extending the invitation to this exquisite dinner.


Opening times: 12pm to 2.30pm; 7pm to 10.30pm.

Pork-free.

Price: RM698++ per person

Location: Mandarin Grill, Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50088 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2380 8888

GPS Coordinates: 3.155514, 101.711555




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Silver Darling Restaurant, Aberdeen, Scotland

During our last trip to Scotland, we visited Silver Darling Restaurant to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday. Silver Darling is one of the top restaurants in Aberdeen, specialising in seafood. We attempted to book here twice, before we finally got a table for lunch (yes they're very busy and popular!) and I'm very glad that we got to eat here as the food was exquisite. Definitely the best meal of our trip. :)

The dining room is a large raised conservatory on the flat roof of an old granite custom house providing a spectacular and panoramic view over Aberdeen Harbour and bay. 

The Silver Darling, named after the Scottish nickname for herring fish, is owned and run by Frenchman Didier Dejean. Opened in June 1986, the Silver Darling is one of the few restaurants to have been recommended in the Good Food Guide for more than 28 years. It has also been recommended in the Michelin Guide and in the Egon Ronay and in 2008, The Sunday Times ranked the Silver Darling in the top 10 seafood restaurants in UK.

The lunch menu in my opinion is really fantastic value for money. You can get 2-courses for £19.50, or 3-courses for £24.50. It changes on a regular basis, with one special item changing on a daily basis depending on the fresh produce they receive. The menu consists mainly of local fish with a French twist as well as Mediterranean and occasional Far East flourishes.

For starters, both Hubby and I went for the starter of the day - we immediately ordered it when we heard the word "scallops" mentioned. Three beautiful, plump scallops sit atop a bed of leeks and crisp filo pastry and a crayfish bisque reduction. Perfect start to our meal :)

Since this is a seafood restaurant, we made sure we ordered fish for our mains. Hubby once again went for the catch of the day which I believe was monkfish. My MIL went for the pan fried sea bass with asparagus & celeriac remoulade, green tapenade, with a tomatoes and herb dressing - she certainly was impressed with it - beautifully crisp skin and moist flesh.

I went for the rock turbot, which was poached in a seafood broth and then served with mussels, octopus and cockles atop a bed of saffron potatoes and aioli sauce. Oh and topped with julienned vegetables and samphire. Love this heart-warming, tummy-pleasing fish dish, not to mention so pleasing to the eyes too.

As for desserts, Hubby went for the cheese platter which was served with homemade fruit jellies, MIL went for the sweet custard tart with preserved raspberries and raspberry coulis (which Baby C loved, so she was standing next to granny to steal bites) and I had the vanilla pod panna cotta with grenadine rhubarb, sesame tuile  and rhubarb jus (which Baby D loved so you know where he was during dessert time).

Overall, an enjoyable meal at Silver Darling. Food was fantastic, and service was excellent throughout too. 

Verdict: Good value for money lunch, considering the high quality ingredients used. Food is excellently prepared and visually pleasing. Great place for special occasions too.


Opening times: Mon-Fri 12.00pm-1.45pm, Mon-Sat 6.30pm - 9.30pm.

Service: Excellent.

Price: Total bill £81.00 for 3 adults, including wine.

Location: Silver Darling Restaurant, Pocra Quay North Pier, AB11 5DQ, Aberdeen, United Kingdom.

Tel: +44 1224 576229

Website: http://thesilverdarling.co.uk/

GPS Coordinates:  57.142369, -2.069631


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MIGF 2014: Nook, Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral

It's that time of the year again and Malaysia International Gourmet Festival (MIGF) is back for its 14th year with the theme "Red Hot Chefs". Making its debut last year and back again this year is NOOK in Aloft KL Sentral, which will showcase their festival menu throughout the whole month of October.

NOOK's innovative festival menu is created by Executive Sous Chef Rozaiman and his team. Diners can choose to indulge in a 3-course light menu for RM98 nett per person (RM130 nett with cocktails and wines) or 6-course full festival menu at RM188 nett per person (RM250 nett with cocktails and wine).

Staying true to Aloft's fun and playful style, Chef Rozaiman's menu showcases local dishes with a modern twist. There is even some molecular action thrown in. Overall, I was most impressed with the dishes - beautifully presented, tastes great and so much fun to eat!

Chef Rozaiman with his Festival menu

For a sassy start, we were served a unique Malaysian-style kerabu salad (with a fusion twist, of course)- marinated sea conch, octopus and sea urchin roe with coconut kerabu and fiddlehead fern (pucuk paku). This was undoubtedly the prettiest dish of the evening. The sea conch (a first for me), is marinated in lime juice, spicy chilli, salt and pepper, sort of like a Asian-style ceviche. Mix everything well together and you have one tasty salad. The salad is paired with a delicious WXYZ Mojito.

WXYZ Mojito

Marinated sea conch, octopus and sea urchin roe with coconut kerabu and fiddlehead fern 

The second dish is chicken noodle soup, which I thought was pretty fantabulous. A meal in NOOK is afterall incomplete without some syringe action - the liquid made from black chicken is injected into the hot soup to create your noodle strands. How cool is that! The consomme soup was very tasty too - Chef explains that it is a pindang style soup with galangal and lemongrass.

Good, interactive fun

For the first main course, we were served the sambal beef tongue and tendon served with percik sauce and achar crudite. The flavours are bold and punchy and we like this a lot! Chef Rozaiman tells us that the beef tongue is cooked sous vide style for 12 hours, shredded and then cooked with sambal sauce. No wonder it is so tender, almost like eating Wagyu beef. The tendon have also been cooked til tender, absolutely delish.

This is paired with the Miguel Torres Santa Digna Chardonnay Reserve

A refreshing lemongrass, lime and pandan sherbet to cleanse our palate

My favorite dish of the evening is the cod fish assam pedas, served with garlic rice, salted egg and tempura egg plant. Cod is such a delicate fish, but the spices in the assam pedas is just right, making this simply delectable. Chef Rozaiman explains that in his kampong, salted egg is commonly served with assam pedas. I wish I could have more of this!

For a sweet ending, we had the NOOK Cendol paired with a Sour Boy. The cendol is served with syringes filled with coconut milk and palm sugar syrup, and you can adjust the taste to your liking.

Sour Boy - Cointreau, lime, assam boi

Pandan rice flour jelly, ba'kelalan salt, palm sugar, red bean and glutinous rice

Playing with your food is highly encouraged here. :)

Coffee, tea or ABK is served with the Festival menu. If you are a coffee lover, then go for the ABK (Ais Batu Kopi) - ice latte served with Bristot espresso cubes. The cold milk and sugar syrup are served in beakers, how fun!

Pork-free.

Price: 3-course light menu for RM98 nett per person (RM130 nett with cocktails and wines) or 6-course full festival menu at RM188 nett per person (RM250 nett with cocktails and wine).

Location: NOOK, Level 1, Aloft KL Sentral, No 5 Jalan Stesen Sentral, 50470 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2723 1154

Website: http://www.aloftkualalumpursentral.com/

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Lunch @ Sage Restaurant & Wine Bar, The Gardens Residences, KL

Always a pleasure to dine at Sage KL;)

We love coming to Sage when we're doing our daytime dating. The ambiance is lovely, service is good and food is always exceptional. I like how Chef Daniel always comes out to greet us with a warm smile. I like how his food tastes - simple but always delivers.

Just like our starter of hiramasa with shaved black truffle and soy vinaigrette. It looks deceptively simple but it tastes so good. All throughout the first course, Hubby keeps going "mmm mmmmm" with approval. My fav course of the afternoon.

Tranche of Hiramasa with Shaved Black Truffle and Soy Vinaigrette

We always go for two appetizers when we lunch here, because frankly it's just too hard deciding which one to go for. Love the smoked duck breast with foie gras, served with fig and date chutney. You know what they say, "good things come in small packages".

The set lunch at Sage is now priced at RM120 nett (formerly RM100), but you will notice that they now serve Wagyu (marbling 5, I'v been told) beef for lunch instead of Angus. All the more reasons to love the steaks here, richer in taste and more melt-in-the-mouth.

Two way preparation of Wagyu beef with Yuzukoshou and Chasseur sauce

Perfectly cooked!

An off-menu dessert for us - French Chocolate Fondant with Earl Grey Tea Ice Cream

And that is why Sage is still my favorite restaurant in KL.

Pork-free.

For their weekly lunch menu, click here. Full a la carte menu here.

Dress code: Smart casual.

Opening hours: Lunch:Monday to Friday 12.00pm to 2.00pm; Dinner:Monday to Saturday 6.00pm to 10.30pm. Closed on Sunday.

Price: RM120 nett per person for 3-course lunch.

Location: Sage Restaurant & Wine Bar, The Gardens Residences, Level 6, The Gardens, Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2268 1328

*Children below the age of 6 are not allowed in the restaurant.



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